winter shoes

crispy1980

Hi all, I'm getting sick of riding in my dc shoes as everyone they get wet it takes days to dry them out!! I've done some research and I think it's down to either shimano am 41 or five ten impact 2 . Question is, how do the two compare? Any experience of either? How are they for water absorption??

grenw

How about the new five ten Freerider Elements? Waterproof coating and more insulation.

Got mine last week. Wore them once and my toes were too hot. Still a bit warm and dry for a proper test but the signs are good and I'm sure I'll get to test them properly soon.

sparky543

I use both Impact 2's and AM 41's. The Impact's will soak up water like a sponge so don't even bother thinking you'll get any protection from water with them. For me, they are a summer shoe only. The AM41's will fair better in the wet as they have a splash proof flap over the laces but are still not that waterproof when careering through big puddles or heavy rain. Waterproof socks may be more help.

Secla

I always wore sealskinz with my 510s. All day riding and still dry and warm at the of the day

bartimaeus

I use AM41s year round... thicker socks when it gets colder, and sealskinz when it's cold and wet. The shoes are splash resistant, but they will eventually get soaked through as they are not waterproof. I pack mine with old newspaper and stick them in the airing cupboard to dry.

Kowalski675

GrenW wrote:

How about the new five ten Freerider Elements? Waterproof coating and more insulation.

Tried those on (and the Freerider Vxi Elements) at my LBS the other day. Nice shoes, but pricey. The thing that I have doubts about on the Vxi version is that they're marketed as a winter shoe, but they have the new style sole with the completely smooth middle section - can't see them offering much grip off bike in wet conditions, if you need to walk/push.

sofaboy73

i've had both the 5.10 impacts and the am 41's and used both in all seasons.

if you are sick of your shoes taking days a while to, go for the shimano's. the 5.10's are the world's grippiest sponge

the shimanos grip (with decent pedals) is only marginally less than the 5.10's. they're cheaper, lighter, dry quicker and have held together better than my 5.10's

rockmonkeysc

I use AM41's all year and they are as good as you're going to get for a flat shoe. I have used 5.10's and the description above of them being the world's grippiest sponge is spot on.
If you really want warm, dry feet you need spd's and some neoprene overshoes.

slowslowslow

just get a pair of endura overshoes for 20 odd quid. Worn them for years and love em.

Kowalski675

I was looking at Endura overshoes, but I presume that flat pedals with pins would rip them to bits on their underside in no time?

slowslowslow

Never used them with flats, so had not thought of that, you are probably right. They are great with SPDs though.

Kowalski675

I don't fancy SPDs though. Anyone used overshoes with flats? If so, how well did they last?

Psychotext

Kowalski675 wrote:

The thing that I have doubts about on the Vxi version is that they're marketed as a winter shoe, but they have the new style sole with the completely smooth middle section - can't see them offering much grip off bike in wet conditions, if you need to walk/push.

There's a version of them which doesn't have those. Unless the pictures are wrong:

http://www.leisurelakesbikes.com/p/1362 ... oe#image-3

sofaboy73

Kowalski675 wrote:

I don't fancy SPDs though. Anyone used overshoes with flats? If so, how well did they last?

never tried it, but if your flats have got decent pins on them i imagine the overshoes would get ripped to shreds in a handfull of rides.

best compromise i've found for the fould wether is knee legnth seal skinz socks and shimano am41's. if it's absolutley baltic, i'll wear some very thin wool socks under the sealskinz

Kowalski675

Psychotext wrote:

Kowalski675 wrote:

The thing that I have doubts about on the Vxi version is that they're marketed as a winter shoe, but they have the new style sole with the completely smooth middle section - can't see them offering much grip off bike in wet conditions, if you need to walk/push.

There's a version of them which doesn't have those. Unless the pictures are wrong:

http://www.leisurelakesbikes.com/p/1362 ... oe#image-3

Yeah, that's the older (pre Vxi) version. They have both at my LBS, but I suspect that one will be discontinued, replaced by the new Vxi.

Kowalski675

sofaboy73 wrote:

Kowalski675 wrote:

I don't fancy SPDs though. Anyone used overshoes with flats? If so, how well did they last?

never tried it, but if your flats have got decent pins on them i imagine the overshoes would get ripped to shreds in a handfull of rides.

Yeah, that's what I thought. I have some Sealskinz socks (a pair of the short thin ones and a pair of mid length thermal ones), but I don't like the feel of them (but wet feet don't feel very nice either).

Psychotext

Kowalski675 wrote:

Yeah, that's the older (pre Vxi) version. They have both at my LBS, but I suspect that one will be discontinued, replaced by the new Vxi.

That's a shame. I know that the rubber is supposed to be grippy, but that's meaningless if there's a layer of water between it and the ground.

Kowalski675

Yeah, seems a bit of an odd design feature for a winter shoe...